Children's Home run by Evolve Residential Limited in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 1 Registered provider: Evolve Residential Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned by a private provider. The provision is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager registered in October 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and the support the child requires. The staff care about the child and speak warmly about them, and they talked about how funny and likeable the child is.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have spent time building relationships with the child, and over time, trust has developed. The staff help the child by using a consistent approach. For example, a solid routine is in place. The child knows what is happening every day from when they wake up to when they go to bed. This predictability supports the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child goes to school and has a full daily timetable. Alternative provisions are in place when mainstream school is not possible. Staff support the child with their education, and they make sure the child has what they need for the day. The staff also transport the child to and from school. This ensures the child has opportunities to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views, wishes and feelings are important. Staff promote this by giving the child a say in their day-to-day experiences. This makes them feel valued. The child can participate in a wide range of activities, such as fishing, swimming and going to the local skatepark. This gives the child the chance to have fun and see friends. There are photos around the home showing shared moments with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good health and has access to appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians. Specialist help is being considered, which will help to assess the child’s emotional needs. The manager has made these arrangements through an external service. This means the child is not waiting a long time for the necessary help and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child can see their family. Transitions at these times can be difficult, so the staff are mindful of this and lessen the impact through planning and keeping the child up to date. The child would benefit from the manager spending time developing relationships with the child’s family. This is significant as family is important to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s environment is comfortable and decorated to a good standard. Staff remove broken furniture and other damaged items at once. This ensures that the child is not reminded about the times they were upset.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the steps that they should take to protect the child from harm. There is a detailed risk assessment, which is regularly updated. Staff have good knowledge about their safeguarding responsibilities. This has lessened the significant harm the child has experienced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 3 There have been several significant incidents. The response from the staff is consistent. The manager meets with children’s services and other agencies involved with the child to discuss the ongoing challenges.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some of the incidents require physical intervention by the staff to reduce the risk of the child hurting themself or others, or to prevent damage. Staff support the child during times of crisis through the use of de-escalation techniques and diversion. Humour works well, and this usually reduces the need for further intervention by staff. Staff are also helping the child to talk about their emotions.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The child rarely goes missing from the home, with only one occasion when this has happened. Staff are aware of the steps to take as they have a missing-from-home process to follow. Staff’s actions keep the child as safe as possible.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are good links with the local authority designated officers. The child has made some complaints and is aware of the complaints procedure. Once resolved, the manager shares the outcome of these complaints. This helps the child to feel listened to and secure in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-focused and keeps the child at the forefront of her mind when decisions are made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises the challenges involved in employing staff. Having a stable staff team has taken time to achieve. Some staff who started working at the home have left. This has resulted in the increased use of agency staff. These staff changes impact on the continuity of care provided to the child. This should improve with the stable team that is now in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual have also covered shifts at the home. This has taken the manager away from some of her leadership responsibilities, such as with her monitoring and reviewing tasks. This oversight is important as it helps to identify where improvements are needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor is visiting monthly. The reports are helpful in giving a snapshot of what is happening in the home. However, feedback from families is not always included. In some months, there is a lack of detail about significant events, which would give a better picture about what is happening at that time, for example the increased use of physical interventions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have developed positive relationships, and they support each other. There is also good support from the management team. The induction process is thorough, which ensures that the staff have the skills needed. However, not all the staff have completed their mandatory training. At weekly meetings, advice from a clinician helps staff to reflect on their practice. This allows the staff to find other strategies to support the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 4 Feedback from external professionals is positive. The most recent paperwork from the local authority is not available. This does not provide the manager and staff with the most up-to-date views of the placing authority about the child’s care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The admissions process is not effective. Although initial referrals show children are the right fit for the home, on arrival this is not the case. This has resulted in children moving in and out of the home quickly. This does not provide stability for the children moving into the home, and it does not ensure that the staff can meet their care responsibilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager needs to ensure that all the staff in the team have completed the mandatory training to be able to meet the children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The manager needs to ensure the welfare of the child through appropriate engagement with the child’s family. 2 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 2 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 6 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 2 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager needs to ensure that the independent visitor is provided with contact details to ensure that the child’s family’s views are sought about the quality of care provided. 2 June 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 7 the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Residential Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Duke Street, Darlington, Durham DL3 7SD

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685997 9 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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